Chapter 183 Past Tense
Elizabeth looked at Timothy's graying temples and blinked her stinging eyes.
She smiled faintly again and said, "I can say it one more time—you and I are in the past."
"Elizabeth and Timothy are in the past."
The moment she finished speaking.
Timothy picked her up.
The driver and Robbie sitting in the car were shocked.
Elizabeth and Timothy?
Jake was cheated on?
They smartly turned their heads the other way.
They saw nothing.
Timothy dumped Elizabeth into his car, "You two, get out."
He was talking to the driver and bodyguard in the car.
His car had good privacy.
The door closed.
The light inside turned on.
"Elizabeth, tell me—did Jake threaten you?"
Elizabeth, suddenly carried into Timothy's car, remained calm. She adjusted her sitting position, leaning lazily against the seat back with her legs crossed.
Timothy waited for her to speak.
Elizabeth lifted her eyelids, glanced at him, then looked away. "No threats."
Timothy didn't believe it.
He leaned closer, his hand supporting the seat back, trapping her in his arms. "Tell the truth. It's safe here."
Elizabeth lowered her eyes. No, she wouldn't gamble with Seraphina's life.
She'd already witnessed Jake's madness.
"I'm telling the truth."
Timothy stared at her with deep, dark eyes.
Elizabeth had been busy all day, and tonight there was the banquet, drinking, and the rush to the hospital. Now she wasn't just tired—her head was a bit dizzy too.
Timothy held Elizabeth tightly, his lips against her ear, asking with difficulty, "Elizabeth, our... child?"
Elizabeth thought of Seraphina, taken away by Jake since she was little. Her voice was hoarse. "Dead. Let me go. This just proves one thing—we were never meant to be."
Timothy's heart tightened slightly. "Come back to me, okay?"
Elizabeth's fingers curled slightly. She refused again. "I told you, it's too late."
She said it firmly.
He saw her shake her head.
He pressed his forehead against hers, apologizing in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
Sorry was actually useless now.
His lips touched hers.
He was as reverent as a believer.
Elizabeth coldly pushed him away.
She raised her hand and slapped Timothy.
The slap turned Timothy's face to the side.
His Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes dark. He turned back, looking at Elizabeth in disbelief.
Elizabeth wiped her lips with the back of her hand, the gesture looking somewhat disgusted.
Her eyes reddened slightly as she sneered.
Her delicate fingertip poked his shoulder. "Timothy, you've crossed the line. I'm Mrs. Sherman now."
She opened the car door, got out, walked back to her own car, opened the door and got in. "Drive."
The hand she'd slapped Timothy with kept trembling.
She had hit him.
Timothy touched his slapped face, staring at the departing figure, blinking his narrow eyes, a bitter smile on his lips.
Elizabeth returned to The Sherman Mansion.
Vincent and Calliope were already waiting for her in the living room.
"Is Freya okay?" Calliope asked.
"She's out of danger. I'll visit her at the hospital tomorrow." Elizabeth took the tea Eugene handed her, drank a few sips and put it down.
Elizabeth waited for Calliope and the others to ask about what Mindy had mentioned tonight.
But neither Vincent nor Calliope brought it up.
Calliope looked at Elizabeth with concern. "You're very tired today. Go wash up and sleep."
Elizabeth was really tired, and she wasn't in the mood to discuss other things now. She accepted Calliope's kindness. "Okay, Mrs. Sherman, Mr. Sherman, good night."
Elizabeth came out after her shower.
She flopped onto the soft bed.
She closed her eyes.
Her mind went blank.
Her phone rang. She lazily crawled up and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.
She glanced at it—a video call request.
Elizabeth glared at it viciously.
It was Jake.
"What?" Her tone after answering was super, super, extremely unfriendly.
Jake, thick-skinned as a wall, smiled gently. He was still wearing Timothy's face, which made Elizabeth even more sick.
Elizabeth sincerely suggested, "Why don't you go get plastic surgery and go back to your own face?"
Jake stretched out his long legs. "I really like this face. Although it's not as good-looking as mine, it'll do."
Elizabeth sneered.
Sick pervert.
She cursed under her breath.
Jake said slowly, "You met Timothy tonight. Were you excited?"
"Of course I was excited."
Elizabeth said flatly.
She got out of bed barefoot, poured herself a glass of water, drank several gulps, then put down the glass.
Elizabeth asked deliberately, "Are you having me followed?"
Jake raised an eyebrow. He didn't answer that question, but talked about Seraphina instead. "I sent Seraphina to kindergarten."
He pulled back his long legs and brought up something that struck right at Elizabeth's heart. "The parent section on Seraphina's form is blank."
Elizabeth coldly looked at Jake through the screen.
Jake paused for a few seconds. "Angry?"
Elizabeth didn't respond.
She knew he was warning her.
Elizabeth hung up the video call expressionlessly.
Jake laughed and muttered to himself, "Same temper as Seraphina."
Today when he sent Seraphina to kindergarten, when she came back and found her little duck missing, she was angry all evening and wouldn't talk to him.
Little Seraphina could actually stay angry at him all evening without talking—pretty impressive.
The duckling probably ran away. He really hadn't noticed. He planned to buy another one tomorrow.
Jake called Eugene. "Eugene, send a glass of warm milk up to Mrs. Sherman."
He was worried she'd have trouble sleeping tonight.
Milk helps with sleep.
Eugene was a bit surprised inside. It seemed Jake and Elizabeth's relationship was really good.
"Yes."
Eugene had a maid send the milk up to Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard it was Jake's order, she coldly tilted her head back and drank all the milk, handed the empty glass to the maid, and closed the door.
She had a meeting tomorrow morning.
Elizabeth forced herself to sleep.
When she slept that night, she had a nightmare. She dreamed that Seraphina kept calling her "Mommy," and then disappeared.
Elizabeth woke up drenched in cold sweat.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
Robbie walked beside Elizabeth, one reporting the schedule, the other listening.
The two of them headed to the conference room.
"Buy me a gift. I'm going to the hospital this afternoon to visit Freya."
"Yes."
The department heads were already waiting in the conference room. When they heard high heels entering, they turned to look.
The first important thing Elizabeth did after taking over The Sherman Group was preparing to acquire Silicon Express.
"Chairwoman Penrose, good morning."
"Good morning, everyone."
Elizabeth scanned the department heads in the conference room. When the meeting started, she got straight to the point. "Regarding the comprehensive investigation of Silicon Express, I'm very dissatisfied with the investigation report I'm seeing now."
Elizabeth asked, "Who is Brice from the data analysis department?"
The heads present held their breath. A new broom sweeps clean—they still didn't know if this Elizabeth really had the ability to manage The Sherman Group.
"That's me. I think the current investigation report is already very complete." Brice Bishop was a bit fat, with a lot of flesh on his face.
He looked easy to get along with, but actually the opposite—very difficult.
He thought Elizabeth was deliberately picking on him.
But he wasn't afraid of Elizabeth at all. He had backing.
He was distantly related to Calliope.
Elizabeth tilted her head slightly. Robbie bent down and introduced in a low voice, "Brice Bishop, a relative on Calliope's side."
Elizabeth understood. No wonder Brice dared to talk back.
She smiled. "You call this investigation comprehensive? Their company's finances, business, operations—nothing is investigated clearly. If you're not capable, we'll replace you. Useless."
Brice's whole face turned red. Elizabeth actually dared to call him useless in front of so many people!
"Elizabeth! Don't go too far. One day the Sherman family will kick you out."
Elizabeth calmly moved on to the next meeting topic.
Brice was completely ignored. He angrily left the conference room. "Just you wait."
After the meeting ended, Elizabeth directly fired Brice.
Robbie reminded her, "Brice's mother is not easy to deal with."
Elizabeth leaned against the chair back. She looked at Robbie first.
Robbie was the special assistant Jake gave her.
Her lips curled coldly. "Not easy to deal with? Isn't that what I have you for, Robbie? Do I have to handle this kind of thing myself?"
Robbie fell silent. Robbie admitted his mistake. "I understand."
Elizabeth was actually intimidating the other people at The Sherman Group.
The Sherman Group needed to replace many employees.
When Brice received the termination notice from HR, he pulled out his chair and swept all the documents on his desk to the floor.
He angrily left The Sherman Group and quickly called his mother Zoey to complain.